An Unusual Love Story
by OKAZAKIL
Summary: A gay pirate falls in love with a young peasant girl and offers her a job aboard her ship. They sail the ocean blue together, overcoming battles and becoming the best of friends. Will they ever be together? Mal will take Lani on different adventures throughout the time period of 1872 and 1890. Can Mal and Lani survive being together during that war zone stricken time period?
1. Chapter 1

In this love story there won't be a helpless peasant girl that needs to be saved by the handsome prince that would make her a princess, no, this love story is full of desire, despair, and an unusual love between a cold-hearted pirate and a loving serf. In this love story there will be heartbreak and betrayal but also love and affection.

It was July 21, 1872 the night was dark and crisp with a slight breeze. The choppy waves rocked the boat slightly, the boat swayed with each small wave sending it crashing into the post it was tied to. It was a relatively quiet night at the harbor, Mal sat at an old bar stool staring into her pint. Mal was the only soul in the pub that night, most likely because it was a late Tuesday night. Suddenly the pub door swung open and a beautiful brown haired, green eyed peasant girl walked in. She walked up to the counter and asked for the owner, before long he was out and talking to the mysterious beauty. It didn't look like it was going too well because the owner looked angry at the girl's pleas for a job. Mal noseley listened in to the commotion going on between the two figures. "Please sir, Ill work for only two pennies a week. I can work whenever you need me to and do whatever you would like me to", she pleaded to the dissatisfied keep. "No, young lady, you are still too young to work at my pub. You have to be 21 and you are only 18, now run along before I get the sheriff in here to escort you out", he shouted in response. The girl picked up her dress hem and walked out with her head held high. Mal wondered why an 18 year old girl would need a job, she should be married with kids to take care of. When Mal was 18 she ran away from her family after an arranged marriage was set to take place with a local bakers son. Now she was 19 and the captain to her own ship, Mal suddenly threw a penny on the table and ran out in pursuit of the young woman. To her surprise the woman was right outside of the pub watching the waves sway the boats at the harbor, with all her courage Mal walked up the woman. "Hi, I don't mean to be nosey but I heard you talking to Old Morris about needing a job….uh..I might have one for you if you're willing", she said with her voice a tad shaky. The girl was quick to respond, "Yes absolutely! Please anything will help!" Mal was taken back by the strange woman's quickness. "Well, you see, I have myself a boat without a crew...I need a first mate to help me tend the sails and swab the deck...I might not be able to pay much but i can offer shelter and an adventure", she said with a small smirk on her face. "Im Lani, Id be honored to be your first mate", she said with a smile that made her eyes light up and her dimples stick out.

It was July 22, 1872 the morning was colder and the waves were calm but the boat was untied and on the move. Today was Lani's first day; she swabbed the deck as Mal manned, or should i say womaned the wheel. Mal watched Lani as she swayed back and forth running the mop across the deck, she had a look of pure concentration. Her eyes moved with the mop, her brow furrowed in a way that made Mal's heart beat a bit faster and her palms to get sweaty. Lani stopped and looked up, Mal's eyes darted back to the open sea and she pretended as if she had never been studying her new crew member. After a few short moments Lani went back to her small task but this time Mal kept her eyes on the sea. She was staring at the sea but her mind wandered elsewhere, the bluish-green sea foam reminded her of Lani's eyes. All she could focus on was her crew mate. After an hour or so, Lani made her way over to Mal explaining that she was done with her first task. Mal told her that she could relax under the deck or she could sit up top and do what she'd like. Lani strode over to the door that led down under, Mal's heart seemed to be crushed as she realized she wouldn't be seeing Lani until she had another task. As she racked her brain trying to find some kind of task that would force Lani to be in Mal's presence, Lani quietly walked back up on deck with a small book and a stool in hand. She placed the stool next to Mal's position, sat down, and began to read a book that looked to be about sea creatures. A small, bright smile was plastered across Mal's face as Lani continued to read next to her. Lani for the most part was quiet during her hour of reading except for the occasional sighs or chuckles that escaped her mouth as she reached various places in her book. Mal sailed until sun down which she then reached the nearest harbor along the coast of North America. They both stayed in one dank room in a cheap motel that was close to the ship. After dinner they both went straight to bed after the long hours aboard the Mary Jane, unfortunately the small room only had one bed. Mal offered to sleep on the floor so that her crew mate could take the small bed, but Lani declined and insisted that they both could fit in the bed that way neither had to sleep on the dirty, rat infested floor. As soon as they both laid down they were fast asleep in a deep slumber until the following morning...


	2. Chapter 2

…...It was late at night, maybe an hour or two before dawn, Mal sat jerked upright hard enough to wake up her slumbering crew mate. Lani sat up in a panic, "WHATS WRONG!?", she screamed. "Nothing just go back to sleep, it was just a night terror…", she calmly responded. "Do you wanna talk about it?", Lani stated a little quieter. "No its fine, I think I'm going to go for a stroll outside in the fresh air…", Mal's voice trailed off. She was already heading out the door before Lani had any chance to stop her. Quickly she threw her shoes on and ran after her distraught shipmate. The night was cold, the air made Lani's lips salty from the sea. She pulled her cardigan around her more as she strolled along the pavement searching for Mal. She briskly turned a corner and saw Mal sitting on a bench with her head in her hands. Mal's shoulders were shaking as if she were crying, Lani approached softly as to not startle the upset woman. She sat down and wrapped her arm around the woman as a way to comfort and warm her. Mal leaned into the embrace and was soon sobbing into Lani's chest. In between sobs Mal cried, "I had….another dream...about my...my...my family….". Lani asked her why she wished to be upset about that and Mal responded with, "My mother...she died when i was only 10….my father was a drunk who beat me everyday because I was in love with the neighbor's daughter…..they were arranging my marriage to a local baker's son when I ran from the home." Lani understood her pain and held Mal until the first colors of the sun were displayed across the dark blue sky. Lani stood up, took Mal by the hand and escorted her back to the motel where she softly tucked her into bed and stroked her hair until the woman was fast asleep. Lani sat there and watched the beautiful sunrise colors blend into each other until they became a soft blue. She sat and pondered while she waited for her slumbering captain to wake. Lani thought about her last day in her parents arms, she had been caught kissing her best friend, her parent exiled her after the incident. Lani related to Mal's story because she too had to leave everything she loved because she did not wish to marry a man but she wanted to have a wife. A wife that would go with her on adventures, a wife that would hold her when she needed affection, a wife who could understand her emotional wounds and fight to heal them, a wife who would be there for her when she needed it most.

She looked at her captain as she slept, her eyes were shut and her hair was displayed across the pillowcase in a beautifully messy way. She had the blanket wrapped around her and she sighed softly when Lani laid down next to her. Lani was baffled by the strange warmth she felt in her stomach when she was with this woman she met only a few nights ago. She scooted closer to the sleeping beauty, before she knew what she was doing she gently placed her hand in Mal's. A spread of relief and warmth spread from her fingertips up into her heart. Mal stirred a little bit but put a small amount of presses on Lani's hand as to symbolize her holding it back. A small smile crept upon Lani's face as she realized that Mal might have the same feelings as she does. The two slept until noon, Mal awoken and paid for the room as Lani packed their stuff and put it back on the ship. Mal had a weird sense about her, she was different and Lani couldn't quite figure out why she seemed different. Mal boarded the ship and flashed a devious smile at Lani before taking her position at the wheel. A flood of emotions swarmed Lani, love, desire, fear, affection, etc. Lani quickly grabbed the mop and got swept up into her everyday small task. She snuck quick glances at her captain, trying to hurry along with her chore so she could sit and read next to her. Before long she was sitting next to Mal with a book in hand. Even though she had the book in her hand, she wasn't reading but studying her strange captain. Mal suddenly blurted, "About this morning...I didn't mind it" Lani had a puzzled look on her face when she responded, "You didn't mind what?" Mal chuckled a little as she leaned a little and placed her hand in the puzzled girl's. Lani smiled and intertwined her fingers in her captain's. Hours went by of the two in that position, when night fell the sailed into the nearest harbor and tied the ship to its dock and boarded the mainland. The two didn't let go of each other's hand, they didn't notice they were still holding hands until the clerk of the inn refused service to "two abominations" and pushed them out the door. Mal shrugged and they decided to make a picnic on the ship's deck, they spent the night talking about their lives and their ambitions in life. Even though they only knew each other for a short amount of time, it felt as if they had known each other for an eternity. The night was about to end before Mal leaned in a pressed her lips to Lani's and kissed her like she needed the taste of her lips to survive. She kissed her until she ran out of breath and then some more. The two kissed like they had been waiting for it their entire lives, they kissed like they need each other's lips to live. They kissed until it seemed like their hearts were one, Mal pulled away and laid down. Lani laid her head on Mal's chest and they slept until the sun rose….


	3. Chapter 3

As the wind rocked the ship violently, Mal and Lani awoke with a quickness. Within seconds they were on their feet, Mal was tending the sails and Lani was tying down things that were too big to fit under the deck. It was a struggle for Mal to keep her feet on the cold wood but she kept her balance. Her hair blew about her face almost blinding her, but she kept calm and continued her task. When she finished she looked for Lani so they could take shelter below the deck. Lightning flashed as Mal didn't see Lani, she called out her name but her shouts were silenced by the booms of thunder. Mal saw a figure lying on its back, Mal ran as fast as she could, almost slipping on the sleek flooring. She fell to her knees as she cupped Lani's head in her hands, she must have slipped and hit her head. Mal untangled her from the loose ropes and carried her below deck. Mal sat Lani on the bunk, she moved her hair out of her face and examined Lani for cuts or bruises. She noticed a gash from Lani's ear to her temple, it was bleeding pretty bad. Mal searched for a towel or some wrapping to try and stop the bleeding until she could get her to a local doctor. Somehow in the commotion the ship had broken its tether and was drifting out to sea. Mal had to make a hard decision, either stay with Lani until she wakes up or go aboard and take control of the ship to steer them back to the mainland. With a groan she got up and took of running up the steep stairs that led to the captain's wheel, she gripped it with all her strength and tried to turn it in the direction of the harbor. After an eternity of trying she finally succeeded and turned the ship around, before long she had the ship tethered once more and she went below deck to grab Lani. Lani was still unconscious, Mal heaved her into her arms and left the ship to find a local doctor or someone who could help. After she had knocked on several doors who turned her and the poor woman away she finally came to a house with two men who agreed to give them shelter and aid. The man with short curly blonde hair introduced himself as Matty and the man with beautiful sea colored eyes was Luke. They took Lani from Mal's arms even though she protested and tried to hang on. Matty laid her gently on the kitchen table while Luke fetched some warm...ish….water to clean her wound. Mal collapsed into the nearest chair, before long Luke was back with a bucket and a piece of cloth. He gently but quickly cleaned and bandaged Lani's head wound while Matty ran to get Mal a warm blanket and start a fire. Mal's vision started to blur and she saw black spots wherever she looked, everything went black….

Mal jerked up, sweat at her temples and her hands clammy. She rushed downstairs dependent on finding her lover. All she found was an empty room with a paper on the table, it read:

 _Mal, we have taken your friend to town. We wish to seek out_

 _his office is 47 North Tree Road, you will find us there. I hope_

 _We did not startle you...see you soon_

 _-Mathew_

She didn't skip a beat, her shoes were on and before the paper could land on the floor she was pacing down the street. Her heart beat faster and faster as she neared the office, it was small brown house with the letters _HEALTH AID_ were plastered across the front. The door swung open with a crash as she entered, Matty and Luke were sitting on chairs in the front room, they motioned her in. They told her that she could wait with them as the doctor checked Lani out. Each second felt like eternity that she didn't have her in her arms, she waited and waited. Finally, the doctor walked out and exclaimed, "She's in mighty bad shape but you're lucky you got her in before her wound became infected...However….with the amount of blood she has lost, it'll be a tough battle…", his voice trailed off. Mal fell on her knees and crumpled into a ball, she didn't even try to hold back her sobs. She knew that the doctor meant that Lani had a slim chance of survival, even though she had only met her a few weeks ago, her heart ached with a pain so powerful she could physically feel it. When she got enough control to look up she saw Matty holding Luke's hand as Luke cried into his chest, it took all but three seconds to see that they too were lovers and they too could feel her pain. Mal got up and forced her way into the room where Lani rested, it was a small room with little to none furniture. There was a small bunk where a single pale figure slept almost too peacefully. Seeing her like that made Mal's heart ache worse, she crept over to the bed and took ahold of Lani's hand. She bowed her head and rested it on the girl's chest and there she cried out, " _please I will do whatever you want just please don't take her...please...please help her God_ ". Mal wasn't a religious person so for her to be crying out to God meant that she was desperate.

Days passed, then weeks, and then a single month before Lani showed a single sign of progress. 4 days after that, Lani woke up, Mal cried out in joy. Lani's eyebrow creased in curiosity as she uttered a single sentence that made Mal's heart sink to her feet, "Do I know you?"...


End file.
